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1. Make a list and stick to it.

This sounds cliche but TRUST ME, it works wonders if you’re serious about saving money on food and reducing waste.

I admit we had moments where we would go to Costco without a list or plan. This was a HUGE mistake because we ended up purchasing foods that went to waste, along with other random non-food related stuff. *Sigh* 😩

Now, when we make a trip to Costco or any grocery store, we would make sure to create a checklist and ONLY buy items on that list. Not only has this saved us money, it also saved us a huge amount of time!

So, the next time you go to the grocery store, make sure to bring a grocery checklist with you. Don’t roll your eyes at me, seriously… try it. 🙂

Get FREE money with Ibotta (more free groceries)!

Yes, I really recommend using both these apps to get the most cash back!

Ibotta is supported by 300+ nationwide retailers, so there’s always going to be something for you to redeem whether you’re shopping at your local grocery store, eating out at your favorite restaurant, or even purchasing something you need on Amazon!

Ibotta users have gotten back $490,995,558 in REAL cash, so you can definitely count on them to put more money back in your pockets! 💵

Make sure to spend $25 on your first purchase (to any store listed under Ebates including Walmart itself) within 365 days to get your $10 bonus. I’m sure you won’t have a problem with that since you’ll be shopping for what you regularly buy!

5. Meal plan the SIMPLE way.

If you have time to decide which foods and ingredients to buy and plan your meals, then that’s great! You can save money on food just by avoiding the takeouts and fancy restaurants.

However, some people just aren’t cut for meal planning.

What if you’re not good at meal planning but want to save money on food?

With your life getting busier each day, there’s absolutely no time for you to meal plan. Just thinking about what to cook or eat may even kill your brain cells (or is that just me?).

I have a solution for you!

The $5 Meal Plan:

If you’re looking for ways to save money on food without having to eat out every day, then I highly recommend this $5 Meal Plan. This is a weekly meal plan service that aims to make your life easy by saving you both the time and money. For only $5 a month, you will receive a delicious meal plan that costs less than $2 per meal.

They even offer a FREE 14-day trial absolutely RISK-FREE! If you decide that this isn’t for you, simply cancel it with no questions asked.

6. Don’t shop at the grocery store with an empty stomach.

When you shop for groceries on an empty stomach, you are more likely to waste money on junk food.

According to this Reuters article, No, Really – Don’t Shop When You’re Hungry, research shows:

“People who hadn’t eaten all afternoon chose more high-calorie foods in a simulated supermarket than those who were given a snack just before online food shopping.”

Based on this Forbes article, Shopping Hungry? You’ll Spend More (Even if You’re Not Buying Food), a different research reveals that you will likely spend more when you’re hungry regardless if the item is related to food or not. Here is the study I pulled from the article:

“Researchers surveyed 81 consumers who had just shopped at a large department store that carried mainly nonfood products such as clothes, shoes and electronics. The shoppers shared their receipts with researchers and completed a questionnaire on their mood, level of hunger, and how much time they’d spent in the store. In the end, those who were hungrier had spent 64% more money than those who were less hungry.”

7. Buy discounted gift cards.

Shop for discounted gift cards and get an instant discount without the hassle of clipping coupons.

You could save up to 32% off on your groceries or favorite restaurants when you buy discounted gift cards online at Cardpool or Raise.

8. Look above and below the shelves.

If you want to be mindful and save money on food, don’t just look at the middle shelves where the eye level is. That’s where supermarkets display the more pricey items for you to see. Chances are, you’ll spend more money on those items compared to the better-valued ones placed above or below the shelves.

Even shelf order is a psychological trap. The most expensive items are generally placed conveniently at eye level; generic brands are on the lower shelves such that, to get at them, you have to crouch. Foods meant to appeal to kids are set at kids’-eye-level; and one study by researchers at Cornell found that kid-targeted cereal packaging is designed such that cartoon characters on the boxes make eye contact with (short) passers-by.

9. Skip the prepackaged salads.

I admit that I was a bit guilty on this one.

I’m generally lazy and don’t like cutting and mixing my own vegetables. However, I noticed that every time I go to Costco or Walmart to buy ready-to-go salad mixes, it ends up going to waste because they don’t last very long. Not to mention, I didn’t find them as fresh as buying the whole vegetable itself.

With that said, my fiancé and I now only buy whole veggies and cut them up ourselves. It’s much fresher and we get to choose how to mix them. Of course, you save more money this way too!

10. Buy seasonal.

Not only does this save money, you’re getting fresh foods when you buy seasonally. Who buys watermelon during the wintertime, anyway?

11. Save time and money by using Flipp.

I absolutely love using the Flipp app because you can price match your groceries all at one store. This saves you both the time and money!

Make sure that the grocery stores you shop at allow you to price match. Stores like Walmart and Superstore (in Canada) allow you to price match almost anything.

With this app, you’ll get access to all the weekly flyers electronically in your city without having to flip through the physical copies. You can even easily search for specials and compare which store has the lowest price, saving you so much time and money!

👉 Get FREE cash here for your food and groceries! 💵 💵 💵

If you follow me, you’ll know that I’m all about saving money and making money. Below are some of my favorite sites and resources that may help you! The best part is that they’re all FREE to use!

Not to mention, these are great ways to get cash back, which can help towards your food bill! An extra $1,000+ each year? Heck yeah, sign me up!

It’s FREE!😊

Swagbucks: I use this almost every day to earn FREE gift cards and cash just by surfing the web (like how you search for things on Google), watching videos, playing games, and completing easy surveys. You need to check out the FREE gift cards they offer here. My fiance and I have been using this since 2009. We redeemed many $50 to $100 Amazon and Starbucks gift cards which helped us save money and reduce our spending!

Survey Junkie: I personally use this free resource to earn extra cash by answering simple surveys online. This may help you save money or pay for some of your monthly bills because you can redeem cash or FREE gift cards (your choice). They are rated 8.7/10 which is one of the highest on TrustPilot reviews.

Ebates: You get FREE cash just for shopping at over 2,000 of your favorite stores. This includes Walmart, Macy’s, Apple, Kohl’s, Target, eBay, and so many more! I use Ebates to save over a few hundred dollars per year just for shopping for the things I normally buy.

Paribus: Ever heard of price-adjustments? This free app helps get your money back when an item you purchased goes on sale (there’s no effort on your end). When Paribus finds a price drop in your e-mail inbox, and you’re eligible for a price adjustment, it will notify you and the retailer. Yes, Paribus will do all the work for you and you keep 100% of the savings! Paribus has helped users saved over $24,000,000 to date!

MyPoints: You can earn FREE gift cards to your favorite stores or FREE cash just by watching videos, taking surveys, shopping online, reading e-mails and more. MyPoints has paid out their members $236,000,000!

Drop: My fiancé and I use this FREE Drop app to rack up cash rewards on our everyday purchases. I love how this app allows us to combine their offers with other cash back rewards and store promos. That’s how we get the most cash back! 😉

🌟 For a limited time, get your FREE $5 bonus immediately after linking your first card and using my special referral code, FINSAVVY. No purchase necessary! 😊

Over to you — How do you save money on food and groceries? I highly encourage you to review all of your past restaurant and grocery transactions to see how much you really spend on food. Could you be spending more than $10,000 on food each year? This could be a huge wake-up call for those who eat out a lot!

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About Finsavvy Panda

Welcome to Finsavvy Panda!I love everything about saving, investing, earning, and building net worth. I’m all for flexibility and balance, so I’d love ❤ to help you do all of this without having to deprive yourself! Since Oct 2016, my boyfriend and I have been working towards freeing ourselves from corporate bullsh!t to become financially independent. If you want to hop on the happiness boat, come join us!